Women's In-Tournament Training

[David Grobler]

I posted here a few weeks ago....mentioning the lack of Female players at the Doncaster Congress . Free entry for Women has been mentioned as an idea to get more to participate . However...it was noticeable to me that at this weekends Blackpool Congress...Female entries were surprisingly high ! It seemed on occasion that I couldnt go more than a few paces without having to hold doors open....or have to pause for breath after wafts of the latest Gucci perfumes filled the air .
As an example , I hope these ladies dont mind being mentioned by name...but...picture this...
Median section.....
Sunday morning ...
Board 67....Katy Martin
Board 68 ...me
Board 69 ...Syringa Turvey Cross
Board 70...Lynne Morrison
Now....my question is this....why were there so many Lady players at Blackpool compared to Doncaster?
Did the big prize money on offer tempt them ?
Surely it wasnt the Blackpool night-life?

[Matt Mackenzie]

Blackpool has a tradition of having quite a few female players, tbf.

None in the Open, though (again!)

[David Grobler]

but why Blackpool?
Apologies to those who live there....but the place is ....well....not where Ill be visiting again in a while...

[Sabrina Chevannes]

Big prize money and big social.

They offer a very generous prize for women in EACH section and also an overall prize for the top lady overall. If you look at the female players playing, each one has played in their "correct" section, whereas most of them are usually ambitious enough and definitely good enough to play up in the major. The prize money is a big attraction.

Also, a lot of players play this tournament and it is seen as a big drinking event.

I was "invited" to come to this tournament by many - it was just seen as a social. Chess came second

[David Grobler]

Big prize money and big social.

They offer a very generous prize for women in EACH section and also an overall prize for the top lady overall. If you look at the female players playing, each one has played in their "correct" section, whereas most of them are usually ambitious enough and definitely good enough to play up in the major. The prize money is a big attraction.

Also, a lot of players play this tournament and it is seen as a big drinking event.

I was "invited" to come to this tournament by many - it was just seen as a social. Chess came second

Interesting view...
so...you say its the prize money on offer AND the Blackpool"Night-life/drinking"?
Apart from the odd "Hello"...I didnt speak to any of the ladies(Im rather shy) . However....the ones I saw didnt appear to be "hardened drinkers"...nor did they appear to be "Weekend-Sharkesses" chasing the prize money on offer....
I thought they made a refreshing change from the smelly and weird average male weekender...

[IM Jack Rudd]

Apart from the odd "Hello"...I didnt speak to any of the ladies(Im rather shy) . However....the ones I saw didnt appear to be "hardened drinkers"...

You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

[Alan Burke]

An opportunity missed by any female who could have entered the Open at Blackpool and won £100 just for being the only one in that section !!!

Also, the Blackpool Congress is certainly not just a 'social', (surely not everyone who goes to the best-attended weekend congress in the country doesn't just visit to have a jolly good time ?) nor would I think that the night-life in Doncaster would really be that much better than that at the seaside venue - and how can you judge what any place is like in such a short time, especially when the majority of it is inside the playing venue ?

Perhaps there is some jealousy that such a popular event annually takes place in what some from out of the area might consider to be a chess backwater of the North-West of England !!!

[LozCooper]

However....the ones I saw didnt appear to be "hardened drinkers"...

You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

I could name two that were, but I won't

[Sabrina Chevannes]

Ha Loz - I think you know who I had in mind! And I safely say so, as I have drank with them many a time They do like their alcohol and can take quite a bit Didn't say they were sharkesses. They girls that I know well there are very good players, but usually would play in the Open in tournaments as they are good enough to beat some of the 2200s in the Open, but have chosen to play "in their own section" this time. I'm guessing that's cos of the prize money!

And yes, the Blackpool weekender is a good social. I don't mean to socialise with EVERYONE David, so if they don't know you, doesn't mean that they would come say hello, but a lot of people were all planning on going as a big group.

I know that I wish I had gone now seeing the prize money and given it a go Also, lots of my friends went and I guarantee there was a lot of drinking

[Alan Burke]

Ah well, it looks like I'm invisible on here to someone ! Because surely an official of the ECF would show more dignity that just ignoring someone purely because they dared to give an alternative view to that of their own ... would they ???

[LozCooper]

Ah well, it looks like I'm invisible on here to someone ! Because surely an official of the ECF would show more dignity that just ignoring someone purely because they dared to give an alternative view to that of their own ... would they ???

Alternatively they might take the view that they have no need to respond to your personal attacks because they contribute nothing to the discussion

[Alan Burke]

Loz .. could you please reproduce where you say I have made any personal attack on anyone ... and at the same time reproduce where I have offered a hand of friendship which an official of the ECF has chosen to ignore.

[LozCooper]

Loz .. could you please reproduce where you say I have made any personal attack on anyone ... and at the same time reproduce where I have offered a hand of friendship which an official of the ECF has chosen to ignore.

If you don't consider your comments on this thread to be a personal attack on Sabrina then I dread to think what form a personal attack would take.

Myself and Sabrina are hard working unpaid volunteers for the ECF and whilst you may consider we are duty bound to respond to every one of your negative comments we prefer to concentrate on trying to do positive things for chess in this country. If that means spending more time on organising tournaments and training and less time on getting involved in petty squabbles then I think that's a good thing.

Meanwhile, if you have anything constructive or positive to say now might be a good time to start.

[David Shepherd]

Loz .. could you please reproduce where you say I have made any personal attack on anyone ... and at the same time reproduce where I have offered a hand of friendship which an official of the ECF has chosen to ignore.

Alan - look at your last post before the above comment - seems like another personal attack to me.

[Alan Burke]

Loz .. Did I ever dispute the fact that you both do excellent work for chess ? What you seem to consider are personal attacks by me (.. and I note you fudged the issue of trying to find and reproduce any of those in this thread) were simply an answer to somebody else's view on the matter at hand. If you feel those were personal attacks, then would you say the same of those currently in disagreement on the thread where game fees / membership are being discussed ? Just because two people have a different point of view doesn't mean they are attacking the other personally - it's called matters of opinion !

Do you not consider it to be a more personal attack when a person tells someone they are starting to **** them off and also tells them to grow up ?

I was very disappointed that my offer of a hand of friendship was totally ignored by an official of the ECF (whether paid or not, the officials are still representing chess in this country and should always be mindful of the image they give of the game) but again you seem not to want to acknowledge that maybe such an offer should have be graciously accepted.

Obviously, you seem to feel that any fault is purely on my side and are giving your full support to a fellow ECF officer who you seem to think has done nothing wrong, so unless any further comment is made in response to this, I will do as you say and not waste my time when it seems its a matter of the old boy... oopps... peoples' club !